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Homewood 6-foot-6 DE Dwayne Orso flips commitment from Western Kentucky to Oklahoma

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Homewood's Dwayne Orso stops Briarwood's Jordan Depaolantonoio in Homewood, Ala., Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. Orso committed to play college football at Oklahoma on Saturday. He had previously made a verbal commitment to Western Kentucky. (Mark Almond/malmond@al.com)

His football coach at Homewood High calls the senior a "late bloomer" and now he's committed to play college football at Oklahoma. The 6-foot-6, 255-pounder has been a work in progress. He had the frame to play on Saturdays for sure, but his overall game needed refining.

He was that "raw" prospect everyone takes a look at and files away.

UAB was one of the schools to still offer Orso this summer. He eventually committed to Western Kentucky earlier this year. That didn't prevent the Homewood coaching staff from continuing to send out his senior film.

He filled a need for the defensive end body type that Oklahoma had been searching for. The Sooners came to Homewood's first round playoff win last week against Russell County and followed up with an offer that same day.

Orso took a visit out to Oklahoma last weekend. He flipped from a future as a Hilltopper to "Boomer Sooner" during that trip.

"They had been looking for D-ends that are long and their defensive line coach (Jerry) Montgomery came out and saw him play in the first round and offered him that day," Homewood coach Doug Goodwin said. "He went out there Saturday and committed to them so we are real proud for him."

Orso looks on against Briarwood Christian from earlier this season. He had 38 tackles this season through 11 games, including eight tackles for losses. He did not record a sack. (Mark Almond/malmond@al.com)

Orso also plays basketball for the Patriots. He had 38 tackles, eight stops for losses and three quarterback hurries through his team's first 11 games this season.

"He got better as the year went along and really started playing up to his ability during the latter half of the season," Goodwin said.

He did not record a sack. Yet he showed a lot of improvement during his senior season.

"I had told him this summer that the biggest thing he had to work on was his change of direction," Goodwin said. "He needed to get better at sticking that big foot in the ground and heading in the other direction when he had to. When we were slanted one way and the play goes the other way he had to redirect better. He's worked hard on that and has done a lot better at that as the season went along."

Goodwin said Auburn had invited him down for a visit last Saturday, but Orso was already set to go to Oklahoma.

"They like his frame and his athleticism and they think his potential and his ceiling is out of sight because he's still only 17 years old."

Goodwin wasn't sure of Orso's time in the 40-yard dash.

If he winds up at Oklahoma, then he'd be the second Homewood product to land at a traditional national power out of the Midwest. Running back Ameer Abdullah has had a tremendous career for Nebraska after somehow getting out of SEC country.

"He was a late bloomer for us so he kind of flew under the radar for a long time," Goodwin said. "Once he figured out that football was his ticket he started putting a lot into it and started getting a lot better."

Orso had a quarterback hurry and had one tackle behind the line for a three-yard loss last Friday night. Homewood fell 21-14 to Saraland in the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs.

Rivals rates Orso as a two-star recruit. 247sports.com has him as a three-star prospect.